BREAKWAY
by 2008wingedWheel
Summary: Jessica Kronwall has been drafted by her brother's team, The Detroit Red Wings. She's excited to start her rookie season with her brother and her friends (AND teammates) by her side. But the NHL life isn't easy. Will she be able to make it through the year?
1. A new season

I had never been so happy to hear my mom's voice yelling at me to get up. I had a bundle of excitement and thrill in my body as I crawled out of bed. Being a professional hockey player's sister was one of the best things in the world. Especially when my brother is a hard-hitting defenseman named Niklas Kronwall. Why was I so excited this particular morning? My brother's team, which is none other than the Detroit Red Wings, had drafted me and I was going to be playing with them. It wasn't just the fact that I was Nicky's sister or that they knew me which made them draft me. I was a forward, which surprised some people considering both my brothers were defensemen, but I was drafted either way. I swung my bag over my shoulder and headed down the steps. Nicky was already sitting at the table and looked up when I came in. "Hi, rookie", he said, making me shake my head at him. "Hi, Nicky", I replied, coming over and hugging him. I sat down and began to eat the bacon and sausage mom had set before me. She watched me eat and I could tell she was nervous. "You're gonna get hurt, Jessie", she said. "Of course I'll get hurt, mom. That's part of the game. Just as long as no one does it on purpose I'll be fine. Do you know what's going to happen if they do try and hurt me?" Nicky smiled. "They're gonna get hurt, too. No one messes with my baby sister". Just then, Staffan, the second oldest in the family, came downstairs. He grinned at me. "You excited, Jess", he asked, messing up my hair. I smiled and reached up to give him a high-five. "Sure I am, Staf. It's going to be exciting playing with the guys I've known forever", I replied. Nicky and I finished and mom took our plates to the sink. I exchanged a glance with Nicky and couldn't hold back my excited smile. "You ready, superstar", he asked. I nodded and hugged mom. "Bye, momma. See you in a couple hours". I then turned to hug Staf. He hugged me tightly. "Don't forget that I'm coming tonight, squirt", he told me. I rolled my eyes and swung my bag up on my shoulder. "How could I forget, Staf? You, mom, Cassie and Brittany are coming. Aren't your seats behind the bench", I asked. He nodded. I gave him two hard pats on the chest before turning to Nicky. "Ready to go, squirt", he asked. I nodded and we walked out the door.

I couldn't hold back the smile that appeared on my face when I saw Hank leaning on the wall outside the locker room. "Hank", I yelled. He looked up and smiled when he saw me. "Hi, Jessie! It's hard to believe you're my teammate now", he said, wrapping me in a hug. I chuckled. "I know, Hank. We're gonna have fun this year", I said. "So, what are you going to do first: hit someone the way your brother does or score a goal", Hank asked. I rolled my eyes. "Well, I'm a little too small to be Kronwalling people so I guess it'll have to be scoring a goal", I replied. Hank crossed his arms over his chest. "Nick's not that big and he does it", he reminded me. I fought back a laugh. "He's bigger than me and he's not a girl", I retorted, causing Nicky to grin. "She's got you there, Zetta".


	2. a VISIT AND THE FIRST GOAL

It was a few days later that Nicky and I went to the DMC children's hospital to visit kids who were sick and their families. I had gone with Nicky twice to visit and it made me smile to see their eyes light up whenever they saw us. The first child I saw was a girl of about nine. She had on Hank's jersey and kept glancing over at a woman holding a little boy of about two. When she saw me, her eyes widened in surprise. "You're… you're Jessica Kronwall", she said. I grinned and sat next to her. "Yes, I am. And what's your name, sweetheart", I asked, taking her poster of Nicky and the sharpie she held in her hands. "Olivia. That's my momma and my little brother Isaac", she replied, her voice cracking when she said her brother's name. I felt tears in my own eyes when she looked over at Isaac. "We found out two weeks ago that he has cancer. It's so hard to believe that he has it! He's so little", Olivia explained. I held my arms out to her. "Do you want a hug", I asked. She looked startled. "Really", she asked in surprise. "Sure", I told her. She hesitated for a minute before she put her arms around me. I hugged her tightly back before she let go. "Can you sign my poster?" "Of course". Taking the sharpie, I wrote my name and underneath it said: _"Be strong, Olivia". _She was about to take from me when I finished but I stopped her. "Would you like to have my teammate sign it, too", I asked. She nodded. "You know that you and your brother are my favorite players?" I looked at her and saw a spark in her blue eyes. "No, I didn't. Why?" She shook her head. "I'm not sure. I just like the way you guys play. And your brother when he hits… he just seems so strong. That's what I want Isaac to be when he grows up. I want him to be strong like that, play strong like your brother does", she explained. I smiled. "You're a good sister".

I searched for Nicky and found him leaning against the wall, talking with a young teenager. He caught my eye and I waved him over. I watched with an amused smile Olivia's jaw dropping when he came over. "You look like you've seen a ghost, young lady", Nicky said. Olivia shook her head. "No, there's no ghost. It's just… I'm finally meeting my idol". Nicky smiled and knelt in front of her. "Your idol, huh?" Olivia nodded. "You and your sister are my favorite players. I love the way you guys play. And when I see you hit people the way you do, you just seem so strong. My little brother, Isaac… I want him to be like you when he grows up", she explained, nodding in direction of her mother and brother. I noticed the crack in her voice and the tears that filled her eyes when she nodded at her brother. Nicky tilted his head at her. "Is that your brother over there", he asked. "Yes. That's Isaac. We just recently found out he has cancer. It's been so hard, even though we've only known for two weeks. It's hard because I've always dreamed he'd be another one of you. I lost that dream when we found out about the cancer, but meeting you… I think that dream is back". I handed her the poster and the sharpie. She glanced up at my brother. "Will you sign it", she asked. Nicky pushed himself up and sat next to her, gently taking the poster and sharpie from her hand. "What's your name, little lady?" "Olivia". After a few minutes of writing, Nicky gave Olivia back her poster. Olivia read it and looked back up at Nicky, her blue eyes bright. "Thanks". She hugged him and then went to join her mother and brother. I watched her for a few minutes. "We made her really happy, Nicky", I told him. He smiled. "Let's go make some other kids happy, Jess".

It was a week later that I got my first NHL goal. We were playing Colorado and the game was tied 3-3 with a minute left in it. Nicky, Hank, Pavel, Johnny Ericsson and I were on the ice. Hank had the puck and he passed it. I had open ice in front of me and I just went for it. I shot the puck and hoped the goalie didn't see it. "YES", I yelled, throwing my arms up in the air. I saw Nicky skating towards me and he was grinning. I jumped into his arms and I felt his hand on my helmet. "Your first goal, Jess! I'm so proud of you". I laughed to see my other three teammates smiling as they made their way towards me. Pavel playfully grabbed my chin and I shoved his arm away. "You can't do that", he complained, reaching for me. I scrambled behind Johnny who patted my helmet. "Great job, Jessie", he said. "Thanks, Jonte", I said. I felt someone punch my shoulder and then Hank tapped my helmet. "Great goal, Jess", he told me. I laughed and slapped his stomach. "Thanks for the assist, Hank", I said. He smiled. "No problem, superstar", he said as we made our way to the bench.


	3. Just a dream

_Niklas POV: it was about two days later that we played against Sidney Crosby. Jess was still riding high on her goal from two games ago. Not that I blame her; that's a special goal. She was playing a great game right now: Crosby was keeping a close eye on her. We were on the ice and she was trying to get the puck from the corner when it happened. Crosby slammed into her hard from behind. On purpose, I knew, because he was smirking. I was about to go after him but Jonte was already taking care of him. So I went to check on Jess, who was lying on the ice with her eyes closed. "Jessie? Jessie, baby, look at me", I whispered as I knelt next to her. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at me with confusion on her face. "What happened", she asked. "You got hit from behind", I told her. I was about to get her up when Hank came over. "You alright, Jess", he asked, concern etched on his face. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just wanna kill the person that did that", Jess replied. "Jonte took care of it", I said, pointing towards the penalty box. "Of course he did. He's so protective", Jess said._

I was helped up off the ice by Nicky and Hank. My head was sore, but I wasn't dizzy and didn't see colors or shapes before my eyes. I saw Jonte's helmet on the ice and picked it up, shaking my head. I skated to the box and handed Jonte his helmet with a smirk. "Thanks for killing Crosby for me", I said. "It was fun doing it", he said with a wink. I laughed and winked at him before skating back to the bench.


	4. Hockey is a dangerous sport

The win over Pittsburgh was the best thing that had happened this season. Not only did Crosby get suspended for three games, but I had scored two goals. We were playing the ducks tonight and I was a little nervous. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf were the two biggest jawers on the team and not only that, but they could also play dirty. I skated around the rink warming up when I bumped into Perry. I had a feeling this would happen. "I hope you're wearing a skirt under your uniform so I can tell you apart", he said. I glared at him. "Scared to get your butt kicked by a girl", I chirped back. He narrowed his eyes. "Watch your mouth, girly, or-"Or what? You're gonna beat me? Yeah, good luck with that when I've got two hockey playing brothers and an entire team who would kick your butt if you laid your hands on me", I interrupted. "You're lucky I don't go to town with you right now just to shut your mouth", he growled. "I've got better things to do than to 'go to town' with you", I snapped back. "Like what?" "Kicking your butt". A dark look appeared on his face. "You think you're so smart. I bet you had sex with everyone on the team just to get here", he said. "My brother plays on this team, you dummy". He shrugged. "Everyone else then. I bet you got here just so you can go to bed with them". With a snarl and a "Screw you, Perry" I skated away in a corner.

There I sank to my knees and started crying. Minutes later I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Hank's brown eyes looking with concern into mine. "You okay", he asked. I shuttered. "No. I just wish this game was over", I said. He frowned. "Why?" I told him what happened with Perry and anger appeared on his face. "That asshole. He's gonna get it tonight", he muttered. I saw Nicky skating over to us and he frowned when he saw my face. "Do me a favor, Nicky", I said, looking up at him. "Yeah, little sis?" "Kronwall Perry tonight. He's an asshole", I replied. He nodded. "Did he make you upset?" I told him the "conversation" I had and when he finished he looked beyond angry. "You're like a sister to these guys! Of course you didn't 'go to town' with them! He's an idiot", he said, helping me up. Nicky skated off but before I could Hank placed his hand on my shoulder. "If he gives you too much crap, just let us know and we can try and get you on the ice when he's not on", he said into my ear. "Aww, so cute! They're making big plans for tonight", a familiar much-hated voice said. Hank and I both looked daggers at Perry. "Screw you, Perry! We already have plans to kick your ass tonight so shut up", I snapped. He raised an eyebrow. "Damn, you're feisty. If you weren't the enemy I'd have you as a girlfriend". Hank held me back from punching Perry's smug little face even though I wanted to so badly. "If I wasn't on this team I wouldn't be anywhere near you so shut your mouth, asshole", I snarled. "No you wouldn't be. You'd be going to town with your captain", Perry replied. Hank tightened his grip on me and I knew he was pissed.

_Hank's POV: I was so pissed. Jessie was like my little sister, heck, she was my little sister. I'd never hurt her in any way, shape, or form and for Perry to suggest that she'd "go to town" with me made my anger explode. "Screw you and your damn team, Perry! She's like my little sister. And every guy in that locker room knows that if we try to mess with her, her brother will have our head. And that goes for anyone that messes with her. So get the hell out of here and leave her alone", I spat. I started towards him but a hard, strong pull on my arm made me stop. "Hank, don't stoop down to their level. Let's just win this the way we always do. Send Bert after Perry, not you", Jessie said. I turned to look at her and saw the pleading in her eyes. I nodded and turned back to Perry. "Touch her and my teammate will make sure you're dead", I told him. Then, we skated off. Jessie was shaking and when I looked at her face, tears were in her eyes. "Do you not want to play tonight, Jess?" "No, Hank. I've got to play. If I don't, they'll think they've won", she replied. _

There was no option: I was playing tonight. I wasn't about to give up on this team or let Perry take control of me. The first period went by quickly and in that time I got a goal and two assists. I knew Perry was mad, but I didn't care. I was trying to prove to him and the rest of the NHL that I deserved to be here-that I had earned the right to be here. "Ready to get your ass kicked, girly", Perry asked. I glared at him. "Dream on, Perry! Your ass is getting kicked tonight", I snarled back. We started playing again and as I was racing to the puck, I was tripped. As I went down, a skate slashed my face. Blood poured onto my glove instantly and tears welled up in my eyes. I felt a hand on my back and looked up to see Hank. Perry-who was behind him-was smirking and I glared at him. "What? Not my fault you're clumsy", he said. "I was tripped, asshole. And it is your fault that I'm bleeding from my face", I snapped.

_Niklas POV: Perry was a dead man. I was going to kill him. I didn't give a crap right now if I wasn't a fighter: he wasn't going to go after my sister like that ever again. I sprinted across the ice but got grabbed by Bert. "Jonte's got him", he said. I looked to see my teammate grabbing Perry by the front of the jersey. I skated closer and could hear every word they were staying. "What's your problem", Perry asked. "Problem? My problem is you, Perry. You think that just because you're a long-time veteran you can go after young players like that? She's playing the game fair and square and you have to ruin it for her! You're a damn asshole and I'm gonna teach you a lesson on what happens when you mess with my teammate", Jonte snapped. I turned away and saw my sister get up off the ice. Despite the tears in her eyes, she looked mad. She wanted to kill Perry but as for now, she was content to send him a glare and then smirked when she saw Jonte beating his face in. _


	5. Cold As You

I was headed into practice five days when I got pulled into the wall. I looked up to see Sidney Crosby looking at me. "What do you want, Crosby", I growled. "You. I want you on my team". I sneered and pulled away. "No chance, Crosby. This is my team. My brother is on this team, my friends that I've known for a long time and love are on this team. Besides, after what you did to me the other night, you think I'd want to be around you?" He smirked and looked me up and down. "Can I at least 'go to town' with you? You're damn hot". "NO! I refuse. You're not my type, Sidney Crosby", I replied. He frowned. "I know how you got in the league. You're a whore; you slept with people until you finally got into the NHL. Your captain wants to sleep with you. I could see it by his actions", he said. I stared at him. "Were you dropped on your head as a baby, Crosby? He's like my brother! There is no way in hell that he'd do that". I smacked him hard across the face. "You're a jerk, Sidney Crosby! Never in a million years will I ever like you". He backed away from me. "It would've been better for the league if Perry had killed you when you played them", he whispered. With one last glare, I raced into the building.

When I got into the locker room, Hank, Bert, Nicky, Pavel and Jonte were there. I sat down at my locker and buried my head in my hands. "Jessie! What happened?" I felt someone's arm around my shoulder and looked up to see Nicky's blue eyes looking at me with concern. "Crosby", I muttered. "WHAT?! HE CAME AFTER YOU AGAIN", Jonte asked. I nodded and told them the words said between me and Crosby. "Are you kidding me? You, a whore? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. That kid is dead", Bert said. When I glanced over at Hank, he looked sad. I exchanged a glance with Nicky and he nodded. He waved everyone besides Hank and I from the locker room. I walked over to his locker and placed my hand on his cheek, his beard feeling rough beneath my hand. "Hank, look at me", I said softly. He slowly raised his head. "You're not going to believe that, are you? Everything that comes from his mouth is bullcrap". He bit his lip. "That wasn't really what was bugging me. I feel sad that he has to stoop that low and call you a whore. You got here through pure talent". I smiled a little at that. "Thanks for that, Hank". "Thanks for that. Aww, you guys are so cute! I knew he'd do it eventually", came a voice from the doorway.

I gritted my teeth and swirled around to face Crosby, wondering how he got in here without others seeing him. Then I realized that when I came in, the teammates that were here were already fully dressed, so I'm guessing they were practicing. "What the hell are you doing here, Crosby", I asked. "I came to check on you. You need some protection from your captain", he replied. Hank and I glared daggers at Crosby. "SCREW YOU, CROSBY! Hank would never do that! He's like my older brother, all of them are. You have a dirty mind if you think that he'd ever do that to me! Hell, he told me if anyone tried to 'go to town' with me, he'd kick their ass. So you can shut your damn big mouth", I spat at him. He narrowed his eyes. "You're going to talk to the face of the NHL like that? How rude. By the way, you've got a nice ass", he said, smirking. Hank stood up and pulled me into his side. "She'll talk how she wants to talk, Crosby. And while the rest of the NHL thinks you're a superstar, you're actually an asshole. First of all, to suggest that Jessie "slept" her way into the NHL is an extremely dirty thing to say. Her talent and skill got her here. Secondly, to ask her if she wants to "go to town" with you is going to get you in so much trouble. Going along with that is telling her how nice her ass is and smirking suggestively at her. I'd kill you myself right now if I wasn't captaining an NHL team. And on top of all of that, you said that I wanted to sleep with her! I would never ever ever let that thought cross my mind. She's like my little sister; I've known her ever since her brother came here. Now get the HELL OUT OF MY LOCKER ROOM AND NEVER COME BACK", he hissed. Just then, the locker room door opened and Jonte came in. "What do you think you're doing here, Crosby", he asked. Crosby paled when Jonte glared at him. "Oh nothing, just trying to convince me to come home with him like he does with any other girl", I said in a sassy tone. Jonte and Hank smirked and Crosby glared. "Don't use sass with me, Kronwall". I raised an eyebrow. "Whatja gonna do, beat me? Yeah, that'll go over real well considering that Jonte has already beaten your face in once. I wouldn't try it, Crosby". Crosby scowled. "I just told you-"Not to use sass, I know. But I can use it because this is America and I can say whatever I want. You, however, are the face of hockey from Canada and can't say whatever you want because you've got 870 people-that's the NHL minis your team-who are going to kick your ass for saying something stupid. So I would shut your mouth, turn around, get out of this room, and leave me alone for the rest of the day. If you choose not to, you've got thirty guys who are going to come after you. That won't end well for you; I can tell you that right now. So, if you want to save your pretty little 'I'm-the-NHL's-golden-boy-and-everyone-loves-me' face, I suggest getting your fat ass out of here", I interrupted. Jonte and Hank were biting their lips to keep from laughing. They loved it when I used sass so this was amusement for them. Crosby started towards me, but Jonte shoved him hard. "Get the hell out of here, Crosby. I've hurt you once, I can do it again".

I skipped down the hallway to the weight room after the game. We had won in a shootout 5-4 and I had gotten two goals. I was surprised at how many goals I had gotten- I had scored in every game I played in so far! I had just opened the weight room door when I felt someone taking off my shirt (I instinctively raised my arms), tying my hands behind my back, and slamming me back-first into the wall. "This is payback for embarrassing us in the game", an all-too familiar voice said. I glared hard at Crosby. "Why do you want to hurt me so badly? What did I ever do to you", I asked. He smirked and kissed me hard on the lips. "I'm getting payback for those two goals in the game. Also, this is payback for your captain cross-checking me in the back when we played you guys a few years ago". My jaw dropped. "Are you that stupid, Crosby? _You're _the one who cross-checked him! He did nothing to you. You just can't stand losing and you go after the other team's best players. Why? Because you don't play fair. How about when you stubbed shaking hands with some of our players? Or when you went after Hank? We may have fought you after going after our best player, but we didn't do anything like what you're doing right now! Why do you think that is? Oh, that's right, because we're a classy team. We don't do dirty stuff like that. Enjoy being a loser, Crosbaby", I snapped. The look in his eyes was murderous, but I didn't care. Someone had to put that little punk in his place and (I think) I just did. "You little brat", he hissed, grabbing my chin and throwing my head back against the wall. He kissed me **_very _**hard on the lips and then started dragging his lips down my neck. I squirmed and hoped like anything someone would find me.

_Niklas POV: Hank and I wandered down the hallway, wondering where Jessie was. She was already showered and dressed, but I was concerned that she wasn't out in the hallway like she normally was. "Is she in the weight room", Hank asked. I slapped my hand to my forehead. "Yeah, she might be. She'll go in there sometimes after the game". We looked through the door window of the room and sure enough Jessie was there. But we didn't expect to see this sight: she was pushed up against the wall with her hands tied behind her back. Her shirt was off and Crosby was running kisses down her neck. Tears were in her eyes and she was shaking. "THAT LITTLE ASSHOLE! I'M GOING TO KILL HIM", I yelled. I felt someone's hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Jonte with a murderous look on his face. "That LITTLE PUNK! He's dead". He swung open the door and sprinted at Crosby, Hank and I right behind him. Jonte grabbed Crosby and slammed him hard into the wall while Hank and I went to Jessie. "Nicky! Hank", she said, her eyes wide. I untied her hands and she put her shirt back on. "One minute I w-was opening t-the weight room d-door and the next I was back-first into t-the wall. We had an argument and then he called me a brat, grabbed my chin, slammed my head into the wall, kissed me hard on the lips, and then started running kisses down my neck", she explained, her voice shaky. I pulled her into a hug and Hank looked pissed. We could hear Jonte and Crosby to our left. "What the hell, Crosby? Are you that much if an idiot to think that sooner or later we'd find out about this? What's your deal with her?" Crosby shuttered. "This is payback for her scoring two goals in the game! No one, when they're playing us, should ever get more than a goal. She got more than one. This is also payback for you going after me the last time we played. After I'd hit her from behind, it's enough that I got suspended for three games and she's got to rub it in my face with two goals and you have to beat me up. Bad move, Ericsson". Jonte scowled and tightened his grip on Crosby's shoulder and shirt. "She's not rubbing it in, Crosby! She's playing the way that she always plays. Besides, so what if she is rubbing it in? You hit her from behind-which could have possibly resulted in a concussion-and she get you back by scoring two. That's called hockey. But this, what you were doing, is not hockey. This was a rude, illegal, and dirty thing that you did to her". I can feel Jessie shaking in my arms and I glare over at Crosby. "You little asshole. You-if you play the next time we play you-are dead", I growl. "Oh, yeah", he asked before getting pushed back into the wall by Jonte. "Yes, so you'd better leave my sister alone", I snapped. I feel Jessie gripping my arm and glance down into her tear-stained face. "Nicky, take me home", she said in a heart-breaking voice. I brushed a hand along her cheek. "Hank's gonna take you home. I need to help Jonte with Crosbaby", I replied. Hank's arm goes around her waist and he gently takes her from my arms. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you home", he says. Jessie glances up at me and her eyes-as I've seen many times before-are begging me to be careful. "I'll be fine, sweetie. Just get better", I tell her quietly, kissing her forehead before turning to face Crosby. _


	6. My Best Friend

"It's my little Swede", I heard a voice behind me yell the next day when I came into practice. I laughed and turned around to see Darren Helm, the speediest guy on our team. "Hiya, Helmer", I said, laughing as he threw his arms around me. "Hi, Jessie! Are you okay? I heard about what happened yesterday with Crosby", he told me. I rolled my eyes. "Yea, I'm fine. Did you hear anything about what he's gonna get", I asked. "Suspended the rest of the season and fined 13,459 dollars", he replied. I smirked. "Little punk deserved it". Darren laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Yea, he did. Not sure why anyone would try it with my girl". I rolled my eyes and shoved him hard. "I'm not your girl, ya dork!" "Yes, you are". I grinned. "You sure you want to try that with me, Helm? My brother would kick your ass in an instant", I retorted. He rolled his eyes. "You're mean", he whined and I just smirked. "Whatever, Helm", I said. He glared at me and I just shrugged. "You know I'm older than you", he said. "What's your point", I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and raising an eyebrow. He sighed. "Your brother wouldn't kick my butt because he'd believe me". I snorted. "Dream on, Helmer. He loves me more and therefore would believe me", I said, rolling my eyes. His eyes widened. "Are you sure?" I shoved him again. "Yes, I'm always sure". He rolled his eyes and I just walked away, giggling at the look he gave me.

It was minutes later that I heard a familiar voice calling my name. I swirled around and my eyes widened with surprise to see Brad Stuart, Nicky's old defensive partner, leaning up against the wall. "STEWIE", I yelled, running towards my friend. He smiled and then laughed when I jumped into his arms. "Hi, princess", he said. I rolled my eyes. "Aren't I a little too old for that", I asked. Brad shook his head. "Nope. You're always gonna be my princess, you know that". I laughed. "Sure I do, Stewie." "Brad? What are you doing here?" I turned to see Nicky standing there, a smile on his face. "I came to visit you guys. And to see how your sister was doing after what happened yesterday." Nicky snorted. "Oh, that thing with little Crybaby Crosby? Jonte took care of him." Brad smiled and pulled Nicky into a hug. "Still sassy as ever. You're never going to outgrow that, are you", he asked. "Nope, he won't. and he's regretting that decision because now I'm being sassy", I answered. Nicky rolled his eyes at me and I just smiled. "It's true and you know it", I said. Nicky huffed at me and I flashed him my innocent smile, causing Brad to burst out laughing. "Ooo, she's got you there, Kronner." Nicky glared at him. "Why do you always take her side", he whined. Brad grinned and pulled me into his arms. "Because I can." "Mean", Nicky muttered. Brad grinned. "You love me anyway." Nicky huffed and shook his head. "I hate you right now." "We'll see about that. Right now, I'm gonna let you go to practice. May the best team win tonight", Brad said with a wink. Nicky laughed and shook his head. I hugged Brad tightly. "See you later, Stewie." "Bye, girly. Don't hit me too hard tonight." I laughed and shoved him hard. "Get out of here, you goof", I said, rolling my eyes. He grinned and walked back down the hallway. "I love Stewie." Nicky grinned and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "I do too, Jessie. Come on, let's go practice."

I burst out laughing at the face Brad made in my direction while we were warming-up. "What was that, Stewie", I asked. He raised his eyebrows at me. "Wouldn't you like to know", he yelled back. I rolled my eyes. "You're mean! Come on, Stewie, tell me." "I'll tell you after we win." I snorted. "Really?! It's more like _you guys _are going down", I shot back. "You wanna bet on that?" "If you lose, you owe Nicky and I dinner when we come to San Jose next time. If you win, Nicky and I will buy you dinner." "You got a deal, squirt. Just don't cry if you lose." I opened my mouth to reply, but got shoved from behind. I went down and turned to see Dan Boyle, one of the Sharks' biggest forwards, glaring at me. "Better cut out the talk with my teammate, girly, unless you want me to beat your ass." I got up and gave him a glare of my own. "You know what, asshole, he was one of my best friends when he was here, almost like a father figure to me, so you can just back off." He opened his mouth to retort, but I cut him off. "Farther more, if you **_ever _**shove me down like that again, I will shove my stick so far up your ass, you won't be able to get it out. Save whatever the hell you're going to say to me, because you know what? I don't have time to deal with assholes like you." I gave Brad an apologetic look over my shoulder, gave Boyle a glare, and skated away. –this game is not going to go well, I can see it right now-I thought. "Jess?" I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Hank looking at me with concern. "You alright?" "I just want to kick Boyle's ass. He's such a freaking jerk", I said. "What did he do?" I told him the whole incident and he sighed and shot Boyle a glare. "He's a damn asshole. We'll get him tonight, I promise." "We'd better", I muttered.

I slammed my stick hard into the boards during a stop in play, frustrated with myself. This game hadn't been going well for me: Boyle was following me around everywhere. He blocked my every shot, he got the puck away from me, and if I even so much as skated by Brad, he would glare at me. I wasn't sure what his deal was, if he didn't like me being around Brad, that was too bad. Brad was my friend long before he was Boyle's teammate so he could save it. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up. "You see pretty frustrated, squirt. You okay?" I huffed. "This game is going so awful for me. Boyle's following me around everywhere: it's started to scare me. And if I go near Stewie, he glares at me. What the hell have I done wrong?" Nicky shook his head. "Maybe he's just Stewie's best friend. I don't know, squirt. Maybe Stewie can tell us when the game is over. Just concentrate on the game right now, okay?" I nodded. "Okay, Nicky. I'm on it." He squeezed my shoulder and together we skated towards the face-off circle. "How could Stewie be a father-figure to someone like her? She's a little bitch." I swirled around to face Boyle, not caring what happened or if I got in trouble. "He was my father figure because he missed his kids and wanted someone to be a father too. Plus, he was Nicky's best friend. Why don't you go shove your words up your ass, asshole, and think next time before you call me a bitch?" The shock on his face made me smirk and I turned and skated back to the face-off circle. Hank shook his head at me. "Damn, Jess. You're a feisty little thing", he said. I laughed and smacked his butt with my stick. "Where do you think I learned that, Zetta?" He rolled his eyes and gave my helmet a smack. "Bitch", he muttered under his breath, causing me to laugh. "Aw, Hank, you say the sweetest things." Nicky laughed at the look on Hank's face and I winked at him as I prepared to take the face-off. "I hate you", he mouthed. "Love you too", I mouthed back. I took the face-off against Logan Couture, who gave me a bit of smack-talk as we waited for the puck to drop. "So, Jessie, you ready to lose?" I'd met him a few years back when Nicky and I had gone back to San Jose to visit and he was friendly with me. This was a playful smack talk-it wasn't one that was going to make me mad. I gave him a mock glare. "In case you need a reminder, Logan, this is my arena and my town. We aren't going to lose tonight." He grinned. "You're feisty. I can see why Stewie loved you." The ref came over to drop the puck, but there was time for me to say "He still loves me." I won the faceoff and passed it back to Hank, who knocked the puck over to Nicky. I sprinted ahead with Boyle trailing behind me. I was determined to get a goal-Boyle or no Boyle. He grabbed me from behind but I shoved him off me and received the pass from Hank. I one-timed it and it went straight into the open net. "YESSSS", I yelled, skating as fast as I could towards Hank. He slapped my helmet and I flashed him a grin. "Boyle wasn't going to hold me off forever", I said. "Hell no! No one can hold you off forever", Nicky yelled, pulling me into a hug. I laughed into his chest-he was the best! I got a shove on my shoulder from behind and turned, grinning, to see Pavel and Jonte. "Do you see Boyle's face right now?! He looks so pissed", Pavel said. I glanced over and, sure enough, Boyle was glaring at me. I shrugged, not caring **_what _**Boyle thought. "He can glare at me all he wants, I don't give a damn." "That's my girl", Nicky muttered.


End file.
